Shattered Memories
by TimeGuardian
Summary: [In the Manipulation timeline] Hadji has a new love that Jonny remembers for all the wrong reasons, but for Jonny to find out what truly is going on will mean a trip back into evil and his own shattered memories.
1. New Beginnings

My muse is a sadistic slavedriver. :P As I stated at the end of my last story, I had a few ideas, and this was one of them. I can't make any promises of how quick I can get the chapters out, but please bear with me, and I think I can make it worth the wait. ;)  
(edit: Punctuation and grammar fixes. I have got to learn not to be too overeager and use  
Microsoft Word next time...-ties string to finger-)  
  
Set four months after my first story, I'm going to call this one:  
  
**_Shattered Memories_**  
by Time Guardian  
  
Quest compound, Maine-  
  
Jonny Quest brandished a short Japanese sword and a look of deep concentration. He stood in the courtyard of the Quest compound and opened his senses.  
  
-He's around here somewhere-  
  
A rustle near the hedges at the start of the path reached his ears. Jonny quickly ran over to the bush and neatly cleaved it in half, revealing Hadji, holding a sword of his own.  
  
Eyes wide, Hadji stepped out from behind the destroyed greenery and faced him. "When you told me that you were going to teach me sword techniques, I didn't think that you would engage me in a battle, and besides, wont Dr. Quest be mad about the bush?"  
  
"Relax Hadji, I'll take care of it. As for the lesson, consider the sword an extension of your arm," Jonny lectured, starting to walk away. "Bend and flex it to your will. Once you have done that, if someone attacks-"  
  
Whirling around, Jonny brought the sword down quickly, only to be deflected by Hadji bringing up his sword in defense.  
  
Jonny smiled, placing his sword back into the sheath at his side.  
"-Your reaction time will be much quicker. Nice going Hadj."  
  
Hadji sheathed his sword as well. "The encouragement is appreciated. So, how did you convince our father to allow you to continue your sword training, especially since we are doing this in real time and not in Questworld?"  
  
He thought he saw Jonny wince, but it was quickly replaced with a grin that didn't look natural.  
  
"Told him it sharpened my reflexes and my senses, plus practicing my technique allows me to clear my head. Besides, as much as I wanna see dad's new invention, he's been trying to strong-arm me into using a new program he formulated for Questworld to help me restore more of my memories. I told him that I didn't want to remember anymore, and I have been avoiding going into the lighthouse ever since."  
  
"But why, Jonny?"  
  
Jonny untied the sword from his belt, lost in thought.  
  
"Hadji, when I was under the service of Zin I did some evil things and was subjected to things that I don't want to remember. When you two found me under the bleachers half-dead that day, I regained two of my most cherished memories: I remembered my name, and I remembered that I had a family that truly loved me. I decided that was enough for me."  
  
He started to walk towards the main house, but felt a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Memories are just that- memories. They can only hurt you only if you let them, Jonny."  
  
Jonny turned back to Hadji, the forced grin back on his face.  
  
"Ahhh, enough about me. Jessie tells me you have found the girl of your dreams. Tell all."  
  
He laughed as he saw a distinct blush creep over Hadji's features.  
  
"She is a beautiful European exchange student I met at school last week. Her name is Melanie and she has the most beautiful raven colored hair I have ever seen."  
  
Jonny smiled. "Sounds like a vision indeed, since you almost floated away on me there. I am glad you found someone that likes you. So, When do I get to meet her?"  
  
"Well, when are you coming to regular school? You can meet here there."  
  
Jonny winced.  
  
"Can't...the school board still has an issue with me bringing weapons on campus, and for trying to kill one of their 'guest speakers'. Dad's appealed their decision, but that's gonna take a while. For now, race is still teaching me."  
  
Hadji frowned, "That's too bad. Hmm, actually I think I may have a picture."  
  
He dug deep into one of his pockets. Drawing out a slightly crumpled 4 X 6 photo, he handed it to Jonny.  
  
"Yes, here is a picture that we took together for the yearbook." Jonny took a look at the picture. In it, Hadji was sitting on some steps and gazing into the eyes of a girl with long flowing black hair. The camera caught a glint of her eyes, which glowed with the color of jade.  
  
-Her eyes-  
  
Something bothered him. Jonny could have sworn that he had seen her before recently, and that it wasn't for a good reason.  
  
He handed the photo back to Hadji. "She is quite beautiful. Well, this has been quite a workout. I think I'll go get a good night's rest before I start in on the essay Race gave me to do. Night Hadji."  
  
Hadji stared at him for a moment before replying.  
  
"Night Jonny."

* * *

-Jonny...-  
  
-No, go away-  
  
"Nooooo!!!!!"  
  
Jonny sat up in bed drenched in sweat.  
  
As he gathered his thoughts and wits together, Jonny punched his pillow in frustration. For the past two months he had been free of the nightmares-until tonight.  
  
-It's that blasted picture-  
  
Wearily getting out of bed, he came to a decision.  
  
"IRIS, where's my dad?"  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Dr. Quest sat at the kitchen table, pouring over computer printouts and eating the last piece of chocolate cake. Their housekeeper had made it that evening and between his sons and Race and Jessie, they had managed to consume all but that last piece.  
  
He heard the swinging door to the kitchen open.  
  
"Dad? Are you in here?"  
  
"I'm at the table Jonny."  
  
Dr. Quest saw his exhausted son come over and sit down beside him.  
  
"You are up late. Something on your mind?"  
  
"Dad, That program that you made for Questworld...how soon can you get it running?"  
  
Dr. Quest checked his watch. "I can have it set up first thing in the morning.  
  
Why?"  
  
"I have a feeling there's something important that I need to remember, but I can't put my finger on it. I figured the program could help me figure out what that was."  
  
He smiled. "Fair enough. I'll let Race know you'll be working with me in the lab tomorrow."  
  
"Thanks dad."  
---------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Jonny woke up early the next morning, dressed quickly and went for his regular morning run. It was one of those habits that was hard to break, so he worked himself hard during his recovery, and was soon back to running on a daily basis.  
  
He did his customary five mile run around the neighborhood. When he returned, Jonny quickly showered, changed, and went to the lighthouse.  
  
when he entered the top room, Jonny found his father sitting at the controls of a large machine.  
  
Multiple screens were linked together into one massive network of communication, and before those sat two reclining chairs, styled unlike anything Jonny had ever seen before.  
  
In fact, he had seen none of it before, and was quite awed by the whole setup. He had been avoiding his introduction to the Questworld system because his dad wanted him to use it to regain his memories, but after the events of yesterday...  
  
His father looked up from his work. "Well, what do you think of Questworld?"  
  
"It's impressive," Jonny admitted he walked over to one of the two seats and sat down. He stared at the screens, which currently were showing line after line of programming code. "Most virtual reality technology out there will not let you be fully interactive."  
  
Dr. Quest nodded, "True, but with the bioengineering programming and research, I have been able to make a fully immersive experience, one that can benefit the medical community among countless other scientific endeavors."  
  
He walked towards Jonny, with what looked like a small disc. "Clip this to your ear, and it will become your visor. You'll have audio contact with me in virtual reality, so I will be able to keep in contact with you."  
  
Jonny did as he was instructed and soon found the back of his chair reclining back until his upper body laid flat.  
  
His father asked him one last time. "Are you ready Jonny?"  
  
A chance to back out? Maybe. After all, Jonny had been afraid to let the genie out of the bottle, but when he saw the girl in the photograph that Hadji was in love with, something sinister clicked in the back of his mind. He had to find out and protect Hadji.  
  
"Let's do this." 


	2. Unsettling Discoveries

**_Shattered Memories  
_**by Time Guardian  
  
Chapter 2 - _Unsettling Discoveries_  
  
Jonny laid flat on the chair in front of the bank of monitor screens. His dad had finally talked him into using the Questworld program, but that didn't mean that he wasn't scared of what he would find out.  
  
However, the need to find out what was going on won out over the fear.  
  
"Let's do this."  
  
Jonny heard his father typing away at the console. The disc that was attached to the side of his head shot forth a brilliant beam of bright green light that arced around his head.  
  
He then heard his father give the computer a series of voice commands.  
  
"IRIS, activate Questworld program."  
  
The computer quickly complied.  
  
"Program activated and ready for your input, Dr. Quest."  
  
"Questworld, Logon. Subject: Jonny Quest."  
  
"Subject Jonny Quest recognized. Going hot in 3...2...1..."  
  
The green light that was in front of Jonny's eyes started to swirl in a circular fashion, revealing a dark black tunnel in the middle. He felt a pull, and then was quickly sucked inside.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Jonny materialized in the middle of a vast black landscape, covered by a green grid. The size of the place was amazing. It reminded him of the sci-fi shows he loved as a kid.  
  
"Can you read me Jonny?"  
  
He staggered back at the unexpected ethereal voice, until he recognized it. His dad was full of surprises indeed.  
  
"Yeah dad, loud and clear, but would you mind not scaring me like that again?"  
  
Jonny heard him chuckle. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. I needed to test the audio link anyway. This is the main way I can contact you while you are in Questworld,  
but I can also see you via the monitors and monitor your health with the medical sensors."  
  
"See me? You mean you've given me a human form?"  
  
"See for yourself. Inserting mirror."  
  
A mirror suddenly appeared before Jonny.  
  
He was dazed, but was amazed to see himself in a virtual human form. His facial features were an exact match, and he noticed that he was dressed in what looked like cyber-armor. Green tinted circuits seemed intermeshed throughout the whole outfit, giving him the feeling like he was in a video game.  
  
"This is cool, dad. Now, where's this program that you have been telling me about?"  
  
"I am activating it now. IRIS, activate program Brain Wave one."  
  
A glow surrounded Jonny, and when it cleared, he found himself in the middle of a brightly lit corridor. Numerous doors of different colors lined the walls.  
  
Dr. Quest began to explain to him what he was seeing.  
  
"This is a virtual representation of your mind, Jonny. The program has scanned your neurons and thought patterns and has translated them into tangible things that you can interact with-well, at least for the duration for that particular memory at any rate."  
  
He started walking down the corridor, looking at each door.  
  
"So you are telling me if I open one of these doors, I will walk right into one of my memories?"  
  
"Yes, that is the concept. Go ahead and try a few of the doors."  
  
Jonny picked a series of doors and tried them, but none of them would open.  
  
"What gives, dad? Why can't I access these memories?"  
  
It took a moment for his father to answer.  
  
"Those seem to be memories that have been made, but the program could find no tangible links to them. Let me see if I can adjust the scanner program and-"  
  
Jonny heard him pause, and then looked up the corridor as a large glowing red arrow materialized, pointing to a door on the right.  
  
"That was the first memory accessible that the scanner picked up."  
  
He approached the door carefully. It looked no different than the other doors.  
  
"Okay, here goes."  
  
He grasped the knob firmly and turned, and a bright flash of light engulfed him.  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
When the light disappeared, Jonny found himself in a strange cramped room. There was little light, save for what was coming through a slit in the doorway, along with a square patch of moonlight shining in from a window on the far wall. A small bed was shoved up next to the opposite wall.  
  
Looking over at the bed, he was astonished to see a younger version of himself trying to sleep, and not succeeding. Jonny heard him whimper, toss and turn.  
  
He felt a pang of resentment and fear. Echoes of the past... -I remember this place-  
  
Jonny walked to the center of the room and sighed. He decided to sound out his thoughts,  
so he could bring his dad up to speed.  
  
"I remember a little bit about this place. This is the room where I stayed when I was trained to be an assassin. The training schedule was brutal from what I can remember, and I went to bed with nightmares more often than not. This was a scary time..."  
  
Jonny let his voice trail off as he heard large footfalls, and then the door opened with a mighty crash. Jonny saw his younger self shoot quickly to a sitting position, then cower into the corner of his bed whimpering.  
  
"No, The guard has come for me."  
  
A large figure loomed in the doorway. As he walked closer, Jonny noticed the gun in his hand.  
  
"Wake up! You are to have an audience with the boss."  
  
He heard the voice of his younger self whimper. "No, I know what he wants to see me about. I'll get punished, no-"  
  
The burly guard started to reach for the figure in the bed. "I will teach you manners, whelp!"  
  
Jonny flinched, anticipating hearing a cry of pain. Instead, the guard disappeared,  
and he saw his younger self one again embroiled in a nightmare.  
  
"What happened dad?"  
  
"That memory ended, Jonny. It's just going to keep looping."  
  
A sense of uneasiness tinged his voice.  
  
"So how am I supposed to unlock other memories? This one doesn't offer a lot of clues."  
  
"Try building on this memory, son. What do you remember about this room? Any smells,  
textures, sounds?"  
  
He walked around the room, staring at the walls and the bed. Jonny let his fingers lightly trail over the wall, and it sparked something in his mind.  
  
"I remember the walls here being made out of of a rough stone. When we would go out for morning exercises in the grassy field, I'd always let my hand trail over them."  
  
Jonny heard his father exclaim.  
  
"You did it! I am reading another door has become available. Two doors down is your next target."  
  
He quickly and gratefully exited the room, letting his eyes adjust back to the light of the corridor, when he saw a glow emanate from door his father specified.  
  
Jonny stood there for a moment. He was closer to his goal, but-  
  
His father must have sensed his hesitation. "These are only images, Jonny, they wont hurt you."  
  
-You sound just like Hadji- he thought in frustration.  
  
Opening the door, he stepped out into a lush green field. Various rocks were strewn about,  
and in the distance he could see a fence that seemed to be made of Iron.  
  
Jonny's breath caught in his throat as he turned around.  
  
The castle he was looking at seemed huge to him from where Jonny was standing. Four long spires jutted out from it's four corners, making it seem more like a military fort than a castle. The dark grey stone seemed almost black in the simulation, making the whole thing seem evil and foreboding. His mind zoned out as he looked the castle over and eventually recognized it's significance.  
  
"This castle is where I stayed for the better part of my training."  
  
-So cold-  
  
"Jonny."  
  
-so alone-  
  
"Jonny??"  
  
-isolated-  
  
"Jonny, your vital signs are worrying me. I am logging you out."  
  
Jonny shook off the feeling of dread. "Please, not yet dad. I remembered something else."  
  
He ran quickly to the edge of the property. He encountered the large wrought-iron fence,  
but he was more interested in what was beyond it-a road with a street sign. It was in a language he didn't recognize, but it was indeed a street sign.  
  
Jonny was excited. This was one of the most coherent memories that he had in some time.  
  
"Are you seeing this?"  
  
"Yes I am son. I am running a computer search now on the road name and the castle. Hmm, here it is: both are located in a Northern part of Germany. This narrows things down quite a bit, doesn't it? Jonny?"  
  
Jonny stood there and trembled. Fragmented memories of escape attempts and drugged torture flooded his brain until his head throbbed. It was too much, too soon. This was why he didn't want to do this in the first place.  
  
He heard his voice waver as he made the request. "Dad, please get me out of here."  
  
"You've got it, son. Logging you out of Questworld now."

* * *

The landscape changed once again, and Jonny found himself back in his father's lab once more. After he sat up and removed the disc from the side of his head, he knew what he had to do next, despite what his pounding head was telling him.  
  
"I need to go to Germany and see things first hand."  
  
His father looked uneasy. "I'm not sure going to Germany is such a good idea, Jonny. What's the rush?"  
  
"Ever since I have seen that picture of Hadji's, that girl has been giving me bad vibes but I can't remember why. The castle is the only lead we have so far, and I want to take it. I have to protect Hadji from getting hurt and-"  
  
An angry voice cut him off. "No need."  
  
with a sinking heart, Jonny looked to the doorway of the lab, and saw that the voice belonged to Hadji. He was standing in the doorway with an expression of pure anger on his face.  
  
"I don't need your protection from the woman I love."  
  
Jonny stood up quickly and shouted. "Hadji, wait!"  
  
His words fell on deaf ears. Hadji stormed out of the lab and slammed the door.  
  
Dr. Quest looked at him intently as Jonny slowly sank back down into the chair. In all of his years, he had never heard the two of them fight at all. He saw no malice in his son's expression, but what he did see was the pain reflected in his eyes. He knew that Jonny didn't want to nor mean to hurt Hadji.  
  
"Son, are you sure about this?"  
  
Frustration flooded Jonny's emotions. "If you are asking me if I am one hundred percent sure,  
I can't say yes. All I have to go on is a fleeting impression that I have seen that girl before for the wrong reasons, along with a nightmare I had last night. I have not had a nightmare in months until I saw that picture. Dad, you taught me to trust my instincts, and right now they are screaming at me to find the truth. So, what do you say? Will you let me go to Germany and find out?"  
  
Dr. Quest stood up, went over to Jonny, and kneeled until he was at eye level with him.  
  
"I cannot deny the power of instincts, cause they helped me to find you. Prepare yourself today, and I will make sure the jet is fueled and ready to leave tomorrow morning. There is some pressing work here that I must attend to, so how about if Race and Jessie come along?  
She has been wanting to try out her German and-"  
  
He was cut off by Jonny reaching forward and giving him a huge hug.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Where matters of love are concerned, it looks like Jonny's going to have a fight on his hands. Can he get the "proof" he needs and convince Hadji before he loses his heart-  
or more?  
  
More to come...in-between work, a Sailor Moon fanfic, and NaNoWriMo, that is. :p  
  
Till Later,  
  
Time Guardian 


	3. A Quest Underway

Hello! I am back! -Ducks flying objects- No wait, I come bearing a new chapter, honest!  
It even has a few German phrases built in. Translations are at the bottom of the chapter. 

**_Shattered Memories_**  
by Time Guardian

_Chapter three - A Quest Underway_

The Quest Dragonfly took off from the airport that morning, destined for Germany.

As the hours passed, the scenery outside the window buzzed by quickly, but Jonny barely noticed. His gut clenched in anticipation as he realized that he was closing in on another piece of his memories.

He was riding along with Race and Jessie, and it had been quite a while since he had ridden in any aircraft. It's spacious interior boasted to his dad's careful planning. From his vantage point of the co-pilot's seat, he noted that Jessie was strapped in a passenger chair in the far corner, carefully thumbing through her German phrase guide.

Impatience got the better of Jonny. "When are we going to land, Race?"

Race gave him a quick irritated look. "You have been asking that question for the past hour now. Well, in the next ten to fifteen minutes we will be able to land, Jonny. I had to call in a favor in order to get landing privileges here. It is the closest landing strip to our goal, and it is a little tricky, so be patient."

Jonny brooded. Ever since he had seen that street sign in the simulation, it had sparked something in his memories. His dad refused to let him do another session with the Questworld program, so his only alternative was to wait until he arrived first hand to see if any more memories would be resurrected.

Race adjusted the controls for the dragon fly and punched in on a few controls.

"Hang on guys, we are coming in for a landing."

Jonny looked out the window as he saw numerous fir trees, along with a sea of beautiful yellow and white flowers. There was a hangar and a small brick building off to the side,  
along with a paved road that ran beside them. The landing strip turned out to be a dirt path about the length of two football fields.

-_Pretty short for a landing, this must have been the tricky part Race was alluding to.-_

He looked back to Race as he adjusted the flaps and lowered the landing gear.

Their ride jarred and bumped but soon smoothed out. Race applied the brakes, and they quickly came to a stop.

Race smiled. "A pin point landing, if I do say so myself. Jonny, Jessie, grab our bags.  
I need to speak to our 'benefactor'."

He left the kids to unload the plane, and he disembarked the Dragon Fly.

The person he was seeking stood by the brick building. He was an old man that Race knew from his I-1 days. He made it a policy to always keeps in touch with his contacts every once in a while, because one never knew when you would need them.

Race stepped closer to the building. The old man smiled, and then came over to greet him.

"Guten Tag Herr Bannon, welcome to Bonn, Germany."

He smiled at the formal greeting. "Dang it Dietrich, can the formal crap. The last time we met, I remember that we had a drinking contest like no other."

Dietrich's laughter was long and loud. "And if I remember right, I drank you under the table, my friend. The brew was not on your side that night. But we can settle that later,  
I see you have brought some young ones with you."

Race looked around as he saw Jonny and Jessie coming up to meet him with the bags.

"Dietrich, I would like for you to meet my daughter, Jessie, and the son of a good friend of mine, Jonny Quest."

Dietrich smiled and shook their hands. "A pleasure. Unfortunately I could not scare up any transportation for you to use on such short notice, but the closest inn is only a mile and a half up the road to the south. My wife had to drop me off here in order to meet you."

Race blinked in surprise. "You are full of surprises. Last time I met up with you, you told me you were not the marrying kind."

"You said the same thing, Bannon, if my memory is not faulty," he retorted with a smirk.

Race took out a few bills, and stuffed them into the old man's shirt.

"How about watching our plane for twenty four hours Dietrich? There are people that do not need to know that we are here, if you get my meaning."

The old man nodded. "You have helped me out many times Bannon. It is no trouble, but you better get going. It is nearly the afternoon and the inn fills quickly around this time."

Race nodded. "Danke. Auf Wiedersehen mein Freund."

They took the direction Deitrich had indicated, and they soon found the inn that he was referring to. It was small two story building, and a contrast in white plaster with dark wood windows and roof. Numerous flowers formed a border around the building and a small pub-style sign jutted out from the side of the building, proudly proclaiming the building to be "Fische Gasthaus" along with a painted picture of a huge fish.

"Fish Inn? How corny can these inn names get?" Jessie wondered aloud.

"Trust me Jess, you do not want to know," Race replied as he steered her inside. Jonny followed them in.

The main floor seemed to be a pub. It was dark, thanks to almost everything being made of the darker wood. There were numerous tables and chairs full with patrons,  
along with a bar at the far end. There didn't seem to be a separate desk for checking in, so they proceeded to the bar.

Race was going to let Jessie check on the room status, when Jonny stepped up to the bar and signaled the proprietor.

A young man that looked to be in his 30's came over and stared at Jonny. "Ja?"

"Haben Sie noch ein Zimmer frei?" Jonny asked.

The young man nodded. "Ja ist ein Zimmer frei."

Jessie watched in amazement as Jonny effectively secured two rooms, all while speaking near perfect German.

Jessie noticed her dad had drifted off to the side, and was watching Jonny with a worried glance. She walked over towards him.

"Well at least we have confirmed one thing," Jessie quietly commented to her dad, "he has been here before. His German sounds almost flawless."

Race gave her a nod. "Keep an eye on him. Once we get on the road to the castle that we were told about, Jonny's memory may try and kick in with images both good and bad. We do not know how he is going to react and he may become dangerous."

Jessie's eyes widened. "Dad, you can not be serious."

He hissed in reply. "He has been trained as an assassin for the past five years, or have you forgotten? Jonny nearly took his father's head off while he was under Zin's influence. Here he comes, just be careful, okay?"

Race's daughter nodded quickly in reply as Jonny came back over to them.

"The proprietor told me there is a car rental place about a half mile down the road. Our bags will be in our rooms when we get back."

Race turned and headed towards the door, and beckoned to Jonny and Jessie.

"Well then, we better get moving. The castle we want is near the Werra River, and by the maps I studied before we got here, we will have an hour's ride ahead of us." -  
-Maine, USA-

A young well dressed girl sat in the Coastal Cafe, and tried to be inconspicuous.

Dressed in a light purple blouse and blue jeans, she seemed to fit in with the people around her, and that was just fine with her as far as she was concerned.

Taking out her laptop from her bag, she took advantage of the Cafe's Wi-fi connection to hook into the internet and brought up her chat program.

Her sister was logged on, and almost immediately she received a message from her:

AZ1: You took your sweet time sister, what is the status of Hadji?

She typed a quick reply.

MZ1: Patience, Anaya. He doesn't completely trust us yet. We still need to go slow.  
Once we control him and he marries one of us, we will have him claim his birthright,  
and the secrets of Bangalore will be ours.

AZ1: I know. "For the honor of our father and our family." Are you sure what we are after will revive our father?

MZ1: Not only that, it will grant our family immortality. That is what we have worked for ever since that traitor killed our father.

AZ1: I do not want Hadji harmed.

MZ1: Sister, relax. Someone needed to escort our father's body back to our German base, and you are the best one for that with your medical training and all. Your precious Hadji will not be harmed. I have to go.

Before her sister could type a reply, "Melanie" shut down her connection, for she had spotted Hadji walking through the door.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before Hadji had met Melanie, he never really frequented cafes before. Oh he would occasionally grab a pizza with Jessie or eat in a restaurant with his family, but otherwise he focused on his studies of both of the educational and the spiritual kind.

He had not known his real family. Ever since he was about 11 or 12, Dr. Quest, Jonny and Race has been his family. When Jonny had supposedly died, he was there to support Dr. quest and help him through, despite being shipped off to India to attend school.

A flash of irritation crept through his mind as he thought of Jonny. Hadji admired him to an extent, and had given him space when he finally came home to recover. But Jonny had to be wrong about Melanie. She was the sweetest, most gentle creature he had ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Hadji had met her by chance, when the school's principal paired him up with her in order to show her around the school. There was something about her - a certain charm that awoke feelings from him that he never knew existed.

He entered the Cafe after school and quickly spotted Melanie sitting at a corner table with her laptop.

Melanie looked up and waved. "Hadji, darling, over here!"

Hadji grimaced lightly. Public Displays of Affection were never his forte, but he was finding it easier to make an exception for her. He headed over to her table and took a seat beside her. "Hello Melanie, my treasure, how was your day?"

Leaning over, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Fine as always whenever you are around,  
my sweet. I took my science exam and passed it with flying colors, thanks to you"  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His reply seemed less than enthusiastic. "Excellent Melanie. I knew that you could do it."

"Melanie" cast a worried glance at him. "Hadji, whatever is the matter? You seemed so on top of the world yesterday."

Hadji sighed in reply. "My brother. He had just returned a few months ago from an 'extended journey' and he is being impossible.

"Melanie" tensed. She had heard that Jonny Quest had gotten out of the the hospital a while back, but there had been no time to find out how much he remembered of his previous life. The treasure that they sought to restore their father with according to legend had a limited frame of time to work. That meant they had to proceed with their plans and tie up any loose ends along the way.

She laughed slightly to try and take the edge off of his mood. "Oh, I am sure it can't be as bad as all that. I had heard that your brother was pretty badly injured at one point."

Hadji nodded. "His memories have been coming back to him slowly, but I question how valid they are. He even said that you looked familiar to him."

she nearly choked, and grabbed the cappuccino by her hand. Taking a few swallows, "Melanie"  
looked up and noticed Hadji looking at her in concern. He leaned forward slightly and gave her a few hearty taps on the back. "Are you all right, Melanie?"

"Fine, I am fine, my pet." She smiled, motioning him to sit down. "I do not know of your brother other than what I had heard from you and in the papers."

"I know that," he protested, "and I told him that he was mistaken. Yet he insisted on following up on something he remembered in Germany."

She tried to keep her voice as light as possible "Eh bah, probably some excuse to get in some sightseeing no doubt at the very least he should be able to put these random ghosts to rest."

Hadji leaned forward with a smile. "He's out of my hair for now at least. So, Would you like to go see a movie this afternoon with me?"

"I would love that soo much. Tell you what, go on ahead to the theatre and I will catch up. I just need to send a quick email to my parents back home."

He got up from his chair and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I will see you later then."

As Hadji left, 'Melanie' stared after him in wonderment. This had been the first time since they had met months ago that Hadji kissed her. He was finally trusting 'Melanie', that meant almost everything was going according to plan so far.

She quickly opened her laptop back up and quickly composed an email to her sister:

Guests are coming your way. The traitor is one of them.  
Must not discover plan. kill them.

MZ

She sent the email, packed her things, and quickly rushed to the theatre to meet up with Hadji.  
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

German translations:

Ja ist ein Zimmer frei. - Yes we have a room available.  
Haben Sie noch ein Zimmer frei? - Have you any vacancies for tonight?  
Guten Tag - Hello Auf Wiedersehen mein Freund - Goodbye my friend.  
Danke - Thank you.

The traps are set on both sides. Find out if they are sprung...next time. -ducks and flees as objects are thrown-

till next time,

Time Guardian


	4. Discoveries and Danger

_**Shattered Memories**_  
by Time Guardian 

_**Chapter 4**_ - _Discoveries and danger_

Hadji drifted home from the movie on cloud nine, as his friend Jessie would say. Melanie was one in a million, and it made him do a complete 180 where girls were concerned. Never mind that this was his first love, his heart was filled with thoughts and emotions that threatened to send him soaring high into the stratosphere.

He rode his bike onto the Quest compound grounds, then waltzed to the front door and opened it...

...and was met by the angry gaze of Dr. Quest standing in the doorway.

"Hadji, I thought you were coming home right after school to help me with a few experiments.  
What happened?"

Hadji was taken aback by his adopted father's angry gaze, until he remembered that morning he did promise that he would be home quickly after school to help him out.

"I am so sorry. I went to check on Melanie because I had helped her work on studying for her science test and I was curious to see how she made out, and she passed, so I wanted to reward her and-"

"-save the excuses, Hadji, I am just disappointed that you did not follow through on a promise."

Hadji became irritated. "You are not disappointed. You just want to keep tabs on me, because of what Jonny said before he left isn't it? You would believe him and not me?"

Dr. Quest took a step back. He hadn't realized that Hadji was still mad about the scene he had encountered the other night when Jonny revealed that he had a bad feeling about Hadji's new girlfriend. He had allowed Jonny the time to find out, partly to help him recover his memories, and to help him put his fears to rest.

And speaking of fears, maybe it was time to do a little recognizance himself.

He slowly started putting a plan together. "I'm sorry for being mad with you, Hadji. Actually, I would like to meet Melanie if you don't mind. The way you speak of her, I know you care for her a lot and I would like to share that with you."

Hadji gave him a strange look before replying. "What do you suggest?"

Dr. Quest thought quickly. "How about dinner here tomorrow? I should be done with these latest experiments today, and I can help Ms. Evans whip up a meal fit enough to impress anyone."

He watched as Hadji mulled it over. "Dinner would be great. You will get to see her the way I do. That is perfect."

Dr. Quest nodded. "Now I would like for you to finish what homework you have, and then go help Mrs. Evans in the kitchen. I would also like for you to do the dishes tonight."

"Dishes?" Hadji visibly groaned. "But..."

"No buts," Dr. Quest replied sternly, "I need your help around here. Now go."

Hadji finally smiled. "Okay. Thanks for giving Melanie a chance."

And with that, he turned around and headed towards the stairs to his room.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Quest returned to his lab. He was researching some compounds as a favor to one of his colleagues, and he had promised to send the results that night. He still had a lot of work to finish, and that probably meant another night with just a sandwich and a glass of milk along with no sleep.

He was getting ready to start another round of trials with the compound he was working on when IRIS signaled an incoming call.

He took a seat at his computer workstation. "IRIS, forward call to my workstation."

The computer quickly complied, bringing up the image of a man. He was well dressed in a jet black suit with red tie, had dark brown hair, and overall had the typical look of a government man.

"Dr. Quest? My name is Agent Danvers, and I am with Intelligence-One. I need to speak to your son Jonny."

Dr. Quest's suspicions were raised instantly. "My son is currently away on a school related assignment. What do you want with him?"

It wasn't a total lie, since Race was tutoring Jonny, but Dr. Quest wasn't going to take any chances. He didn't trust I-One, especially since Phil Corvin was exposed as a traitor four months ago.

Agent Danvers' image shifted slightly as he seemed to be checking some papers that were in front of him. "What I am about to relate to you requires level five clearance, Dr. Quest, and your clearance looks like it is in order. Approximately a week ago, we had an intruder break into one of our scientific laboratories and steal the body of Dr. Zin."

Dr. Quest couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Wait. You are telling me that your organization has held onto Zin's body for four months now? What have you guys been doing with it?"

Agent Danvers calmly replied. "That information requires a level ten clearance. You are only cleared to receive level five information."

Dr. Quest counted to ten. What he wanted to do was call Agent Danvers every name in the book,  
but that wouldn't net him any info at all. He took a deep breath and plunged on ahead.

"Of course. Getting back to the subject of the theft, why do you wish to speak to my son about it?"

"Well, considering the circumstances, we felt that he might have pertinent info on the person or persons who might have pulled off this crime."

He counted to twenty this time. "As I have told your 'organization' before, Jonny hasn't fully recovered his memories yet. If your notes were up to date, you would know that."

"Dr. Quest, withholding evidence at this stage of the investigation would be most unwise.  
The research we were conducting could be beneficial, and wi-"

No amount of counting could calm him at this point. "I have said all that I have needed to say at this time. Do not call here again."

With that, Dr. Quest cut the transmission and ordered IRIS to block all calls from Intelligence One until further notice. He had to relay this new info to Race right away.

He just hoped that Race didn't mind the late hour.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Race Bannon had finally started drifting off to sleep when he heard the gentle beeping of his communicator from its resting place on the only table in the room.

Looking around at the other bed in the room, he ensured that Jonny was still asleep, then he quietly slipped out of bed. He had been sleeping with his pants on, so it was a simple matter to slip on his shirt, grab the communicator, and slip out into the hallway.

Once out of the room, he activated the communicator to find Dr. Quest staring at him.

"Your timing is impeccable, Benton. I was just finally getting to sleep. What's up?"

Dr. Quest laughed. "I'm sorry, but I figured this information couldn't wait. This is pretty big."

He relayed to Race what the Agent had told him.

Race whistled low. "That is quite a bombshell. And he wouldn't tell you what they were doing with the body?"

Dr. Quest shook his head. "He only alluded to some research and that is about it. The only thing that concerns me about all of this is what someone else would want with the body."

"I would rather not know, to tell you the truth," Race muttered, "Zin has been pretty formidable for us. All that he's done to I-One, and you and Jonny- it's almost as if he is reaching from the grave for one last laugh."

"Don't remind me," Dr. Quest shuddered. "How are things going in Germany?"

"We are currently at an inn about an hour away from the castle. I wanted to go ahead and get going, but the local rental place was closed by the time we got there. Jonny is acting right at home, which seems to be par from what you had found out already."

"Well, be cautious, Race," Dr. Quest warned. "If the trail is leading there, you may encounter the people who staged the theft."

Race nodded. "We will. How's Hadji faring?"

He could have sworn that Dr. Quest groaned on that one. "He's still sore. This is his first girlfriend after all, and he's not tolerating anyone questioning his judgment. I have invited her over for dinner tomorrow, so I should be able to find out more about her."

"Good luck," Race replied. "Teenage love is not an easy thing to endure, trust me. Now if you don't mind, I would like to get some sleep before we check the rental place in the morning."

"Right. Good night Race."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-ducks flying objects- da muse has gone on strike with this story. I have yet to negotiate the terms, but last I checked, a lifetime supply of chocolate was a little steep a price to pay.

I shall endeavor to renegotiate.

till later,

Time Guardian


	5. Nightmare Memory

DISCLAIMER: There is a castle by the Weiser river in Germany named "Wolfsbrunnen" that is now a hotel, but the rest is pure imagination. 

I'm sorry this took so long. So many personal life issues locked my muse away for a while.

No longer...

**_Shattered Memories_**  
_by Time Guardian_

Chapter 5 - When pasts collide

Dawn turned up quicker than Race had expected. He was still sprawled in the bed when he heard a noise from the door to the room. Sitting up, he saw that Jonny seemed to be coming back into the room, wearing a pair of black shorts, a simple white t-shirt, and drenched in sweat.

"Jonny, where did you go?" Race asked.

"On my five mile run. I don't like to miss a day," Jonny replied simply, "I found my way through the town pretty easily, and even found out that the car rental place opens in about an hour."

Race shook his head. "Well, kiddo, looks like your memory is doing some mending. I heard your German yesterday. Sounded fairly flawless."

Jonny nodded sheepishly as he grabbed a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt from his overnight bag near his bed.

"Yeah, I don't know exactly where that came from, but you are right. The town seems familiar, and I was able to talk to the proprietor with little trouble. I am not getting any feelings or major impressions though."

"You can't expect any major breakthroughs this quickly, Jonny," Race admonished. "Your dad said so. Besides, I have seen some amnesia victims take years to recover, and it's been only four months for you."

Jonny snapped. "I need to push myself, Race. There's something locked up in my head that I have to get out, for Hadji's sake. That girl he is going out with is bad news, and I need to remember who she is. Everything else is secondary. Now if you will excuse me, I need to shower and change."

He took his change of clothes, headed into the bathroom, and slammed the door.

* * *

Two hours later they were on the road after renting a small econo-car from the rental shop. Jonny sat up front beside Race, while Jessie sat in the back seat, mulling over a guide book she had bought from the innkeeper. She thumbed through a few pages before she found what she was looking for. 

"The castle is located by the Weiser River, Dad. It looks like we have about an hour's ride."

Race settled back into the driver's seat and kept a steady hand on the wheel. "Well then, if we are to be prepared, we should learn all about this place and what it is now. Jess, keep reading."

Jonny sighed and settled back, all the while listening to her recount how in the castle was recently rennovated and converted into an art museum and hotel.

"Well, we will have to be discreet. We don't want to bring any unnecessary attention to ourselves"  
Race commented.

"Sightseeing will be a simple cover," Jessie replied, "this guidebook says they have one of the biggest ceramic collections in all of Germany, not to mention paintings from Italy, Spain, and also a few local artists."

"OK then, sightseeing it is. Jonny, sound like a plan? Jonny?"

When he didn't answer, Race glanced over and found that Jonny had fallen asleep, his head leaning against the glass of the passenger window.  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He dreamed of an earlier time, and wasn't sure where he was.

A beach...no, a river. A river cutting through a terrain of sand and green.

Jonny walked out of a tent late at night and saw a meandering river in the light of the full moon. Sand, dotted with clumps of greenery, stretched for as far as the eye could see, except for the tiny twin orbs of light coming from near the shore of the river a few miles ahead.

Fascination and curiosity drew him out into the night. He carefully foraged ahead, for some instinct told him that he couldn't afford to be discovered. Time seemed like an eternity as he drew ever closer.

When he finally reached the clearing where the light was there didn't seem to be anyone in sight. The light Jonny had seen from miles away turned out to be two lit torches staked firmly into the ground near the edge of the river. Strangely enough, no one seemed to be in sight.

_Jonny_

A voice out of nowhere. His breath caught in his throat as he looked wildly around, but he still saw nothing.

"This is stupid."

He turned around to go back, but before he could a peal of evil laughter echoed all around him. Jonny shivered, looking around once again, but the area around him was still clear. The only area he didn't check was the river itself.

Taking slow, tentative steps, he walked towards the river's edge nearest the torches. Something didn't feel right, but Jonny's curiosity was piqued. Looking down at the water, he watched it swirl and glitter under the influence of the full moon.

A body took shape in the water, which he recognized. "Zin!"

There was something strange about Zin's face though. It looked old and wrinkled, but then the wrinkles fell away-

and a hand shot up out of the water, clamping around his neck and cutting off his airway.  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Race nearly jumped out of skin when he heard a loud gasp come from beside him. Being mindful of the road, he found a smooth patch of gravel off to one side and pulled the car over. Once he shut the car off, he looked over at Jonny.

He worried for a moment as he watched Jonny breathe heavily, his eye's wide and staring straight forward.

"Jonny? Are you Ok?"

Jessie leaned forward from the backseat. "Jonny, it's ok. You were having a nightmare. You are safe."

They watched him for quite a few minutes before he closed his eyes, and took a long slow breath.  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jonny felt unhinged to say the least. This was a newer nightmare, and not as scarier as the others he had experienced, but it was enough to bother him because his nightmares seemed to be tied into his fractured memories.

It looked like Zin was dead at first- but that didn't make any sense unless he had found a way to achieve eternal life. Which meant-

He opened his eyes and turned to Race. "Race, has dad reported anything unusal happening stateside?"

Jonny noticed Race's eye twitch before he replied. "What do you mean?"

_He's hiding something_.- "Anything unusual at all. Come on, Race I have a reason why I am asking, please."

He heard Race give an audible sigh. "Zin's body was stolen from Intelligence One headquarters."

Shock railroaded through him. "What? How could that be Race? Why would anyone steal his body?"

He saw Race shrug. "I don't know. Dr. Quest found out a few hours ago and called me. Look there's not much more we can do, let's just get to the castle."

"There's a town about a half hour ahead. We will need to stop there, then it is about a two mile hike to the castle," Jessie read from the guidebook.

Jonny settled back into his seat. "We will need to be careful then when we reach the castle," he warned them, "I have a feeling we will meet up with Zin there."

Jessie replied with disbelief. "How can that be, Jonny? You stabbed him through the heart with a dagger."

She stated the truth- he did indeed kill Zin that fateful day months ago. Still, Jonny couldn't quell the uneasy feeling within him.

In fact, he was downright scared of what he would find there.  
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Quest heard the ring of the doorbell from the living room. He had just finished helped Mrs. Evansput the finishing touches on a seafood dinner that should be the perfect thing to impress anybody.

Now though came the tough test.

If this girl was enough to distract Hadji, then he had to find out more about her, without offending Hadji's sensibilities.

He heard the familiar footfall of Mrs. Evans going towards the front door, then a few moments later,  
she ushered two people into the room.

"Hadji and his 'lady friend' to see you, Dr. Quest."

Showtime.


	6. Surrounded

Time and work have kept me busy, many apologies. A reminder: Wolfsbrunnen - real castle name, description-  
total imagination. There is a real ghost story tied to the castle though. I'll have to dig up the link, because it was pretty cool. 

_**Shattered Memories  
**_by Time Guardian

_Chapter 6_ - Surrounded

Race maneuvered the tiny rental car over the last few miles of road until at last the scenery cleared and the object of the journey could clearly be seen ahead.

He whistled in appreciation. "The things wealth can build."

Jonny looked on in morbid fascination as the castle he had seen in his Questworld session came into view.  
The large spires were as tall as he had remembered, but instead of grey, the place almost gleamed white in the bright sunlight.

They drove by the black wrought iron fence surrounding the property, and soon they spotted a sign directing them to a large parking lot a few hundred yards away from the castle.

Once they pulled into the lot, Race found a spot near the front of the lot and parked the car. "Okay you two, lets go see what this place has to offer, shall we?"

The trio set off for a small opening in the fence near the side of the lot. Through the opening, they ascended a set of stone stairs until they encountered a cluster of tourists.

"This place is pretty popular," Jessie commented, pausing to read from her guidebook, "in fact, there's a ghost story associated with this castle involving wolves. Pretty cool eh, Jonny? Jonny?"

Looking up from her book, she noticed Jonny staring blankly at the castle.

Race noticed his daughter's frustration and a wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Let him be, Jessie. This place holds some powerful memories for him. He's got some demons to face."

Casting a look over the castle, Race realized that they were in the massive courtyard. Dual fountains flanked each other, and large stone statues of wolves stood in dual contrast flanking each fountain. Surrounded by numerous other tourists, he realized that they were queuing up near a large wooden door at the far side of the courtyard. A sign near the front of the line proclaimed in three languages "Tours of the Grand Wolfsbrunnen castle."

"Let me go see if we need tickets for the tour. I'll be right back," Race promised.

* * *

In the living room, Dr. Quest stood as Mrs. Evans welcomed Hadji and a young woman he recognized as Melanie into the room to meet him. 

"Well Hadji, I see you have brought a guest. This must be Melanie. I must say that Hadji speaks very highly of you."

Walking closer to them, he cast an appraising and parental eye over her. She was every bit as beautiful as the picture that Hadji had shown him many a time.

And she also had the ability to blush. "Hadji is too kind. He has been helping me with my science and history homework and he has made me most welcome in your country."

"Well I am glad he has brought you here," Dr. Quest remarked before turning to Hadji. "Dinner is ready, why don't you show Melanie to the dining room?"

Hadji eagerly nodded, then motioned to Melanie. "Let me take to the dining room. From what I hear we have been promised a wonderful seafood meal."

As they walked out of the room, Dr. Quest stared after them with a worried glance. Hadji had paid him no attention hardly at all.

-You're getting ahead of yourself Benton, give the girl a chance. You've been in love before, after all.-

Shaking off the thoughts, he made his way to the kitchen.

* * *

Race soon came back from the head of the line with tickets for the tour and handed one to Jonny and one to Jessie.

"The ticket attendant says the tour should be starting any minute now." he noted as he looked around at the high stone walls.

A few moments later, there was motion at the front of the line as the large wooden door that they had spied earlier was slowly pulled open.

"We will have to take our time," Race commented softly to the two teens. "This tour is a guided one,  
and there isn't going to be a lot of room for us to sneak off."

Jonny stared at the entrance. "We will just have to find our opportunity then. Jess, when does your guidebook say this place was turned into a museum and hotel?"

Jess flipped a page or two in her book and read. "Wolfsbrunnen was restored and renovated two years ago and opened to the public a year later."

"Three years is a long time," Race commented.

"Doesn't matter," Jonny insisted. "If they have or had a major base of operations here, there will be signs still here."

"Ixnay on the talk," Jessie hissed, "The tour is starting."

* * *

Dr. Quest entered the dining room and took a seat near one side of the massive wooden dining table near Hadji and Melanie. The table had been one of the holdovers from when they lived in Palm Key, Florida, and reminded him of the simpler times he had there.

Ms. Evans soon came in with three plates filled to the brim with shrimp and pasta and placed one in front of each person. "Time to eat hearty! You two also have Dr. Quest to thank as well. He helped me make the pasta sauce, so enjoy."

The housekeeper left the room, and they soon began their meal.

After a few bites, Melanie smiled. "This is an excellent dish. The slight touch of garlic in the alfredo sauce makes the dish entirely."

"Thank you Melanie," Dr. Quest said. "Now, Hadji told me that you came from Europe. What do you think of our country so far?"

She smiled. "It is the best. The food, the sights, everything! And when Hadji told me that you were his guardian, I thought to myself 'the incredible scientist Dr. Quest' and I have been wanting to meet you. Your work is highly regarded in the scientific circles over there."

"Oh," Dr. Quest replied, his curiosity piqued, "so your interest is science?"

Melanie shook her head. "Actually, my interest is in history as a whole. It has always fascinated me with the how and why things have happened."

She turned towards Hadji before continuing.

"In fact, ever since I have met Hadji, I have been researching the history of India and the different Royal families there. There were quite a few from what I have seen. In fact, the ruby that I have you wear on a turban sometimes, it has been regarded as a symbol for some of the royal families throughout recent years."

"That is amazing," Hadji replied, eyes wide. "I have always wondered about the ruby that I have had since I was just a baby."

Dr. Quest did his best to remain emotionless, but the growing unease he was feeling churned within him. Hadji had only known her for little over a week, and she knew this much about him?

Dr. Quest rose to his feet and forced a smile on his face. "Well, there is a cream pie in the kitchen for desert. Hadji, why don't you come with me to get some desert plates?"

Hadji looked at him strangely, but rose to his feet and followed him to the kitchen.

* * *

Race, Jessie and Jonny followed the large group of tourists as they filed into the castle.

The halls that they walked through were wide and long, and the tour was proceeding at a snail's pace.

Race saw that roughly twenty tourists were ahead of them, so he kept his pace light, just enough to keep up with the group and yet enough to keep his eye on the kids. He noticed Jonny's gaze seemed distant, while his daughter seemed more engrossed into what the tour guide was saying. Race watched as the tour guide, a short, portly gentleman with a graying beard and a drab green suit,  
launch into an explanation of the ceremonial customs of the Castle's former inhabitants.

This wasn't going to be easy. The ticket seller had told him that this was going to be a two hour tour tour at the least, so viewing each of the rooms was going to be slow at best.

Jessie on the other hand, listened intently to the old tour guide give his account of the history of the castle. The one thing that she had gotten from her archeologist mom was a love of history, and she found herself fantasizing about living in a castle such as this.

For close to an hour their group traveled through the castle, hitting the major rooms including the huge banquet room with a fireplace so tall you could walk right into it, and a massive two-tiered library with thousands of books that made Jessie jealous. However, She noticed herself staring to zone out after they viewed at least 6 different bedrooms with similar decor. Somehow to her amazement, the tour guide found plenty to say about each one, which took them well into the second hour of their tour.

Jessie silently cheered as they finally left the sleeping quarters and went down a set of massive stone steps to a lower level, where their guide showed them the various methods the Germans used to store their cheese and their wine, making the last stop a massive room filled with cobwebs, dust, and numerous tall wooden racks, filled with different varieties of wine.

"Here is where our tour ends," proclaimed the tour guide in heavily accented English. "If you will now follow me back up the stairs, I will show you to the gift shop."

Jessie started to follow the group, when she noticed one conspicuous absence- Jonny.

"Dad!"

Jessie shouted, but she saw that her dad had been in the middle of the tour group. There was no way for Race to have heard her, and the surge of the group totally swept him out of the area. Muttering, she pulled a small flashlight from her pocket and turned it on.

"Great, Jonny goes missing and dad's shanghaied. Somehow I know this is going to get blamed on me."

Jessie turned, and began to backtrack to the last room on the tour.

The room that stored the wine and cheese looked fairly massive from the outside, but when Jessie stepped inside, she immediately felt claustrophobic. The large racks holding the wine towered above her, and the dimly lit room only served to put her nerves on edge.

Her voice was tiny as she swept her flashlight into the various dark corners.

"Jonny?"

No answer. Jessie pressed forward, going towards the opposite wall.

All of a sudden, an arm wrapped tightly around her neck, cutting off her airway.

* * *

Something about the wine and cheese storage room had been familiar, so Jonny trailed back, allowing the tour group to go ahead. It had been easier than he thought, and to boot, he lost Jessie and Race.

Just as well, he thought. He really didn't want them caught up in his troubles.

Five years of living the life of an assassin had taught him of one thing- how to handle his own problems.  
The only kismet had been the amnesia blocking most of his memories. He couldn't even remember if he had killed anyone else. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't afraid to face his memories, but his dad said that the fear would go away if he did.

-I just hope you are right, dad.-

He had begun work on an unusual mark on a corner wall when he had heard someone sneak into the room. Using the tall wine racks as cover, he managed to sneak around the intruder and catch her with a viselike grip around her neck.

-waitaminute, her?-

Adjusting his eyes to the dim light, Jonny realized that the intruder he had was Jessie. She was struggling to breathe against his grip, and was sputtering.

"AAGHH, Jonny!"

Jonny quickly released her, and she collapsed to the ground coughing.

"Jessie, what the hell are you doing following me?"

Now completely pissed, Jessie stood up and dusted herself off and took a grateful breath. "Someone needs to watch you. You are totally moody, and anytime my dad wants to talk to you, you bite his head off. You weren't like this initially when you came home from the hospital. Don't you think under the circumstances, we would want to know what is going on in your head?"

Jonny flinched at the explanation. "Trust me Jessie, you don't want to know what is going on in my head. There's just too many shattered memories floating around in there rearing their ugly head. I thought I could ignore them an get on with my life, but when I saw that picture Hadji had, I-  
well, I had to find out. Hadji's my brother, stubborn or no."

Jonny noticed Jessie's face soften. "Jonny, you can trust me. I know how it is when something is so overwhelming, that you can't talk about it and-"

This conversation was getting out of hand. With a scowl, he turned and resumed working on the strange mark on the wall he had found. It had been the only thing that had seemed out of place when he had scoped the place out initially. "Well if you want to help, shine your light over here at this spot."

Jessie picked up her flashlight up from the spot where she had dropped it and shined it on the spot that Jonny indicated. "What did you find?"

He focused on the unusual mark and began digging at it with his fingers. "Put it simply, I don't remember this wine cellar being so small. What I do remember is a long tunnel connecting this room to a bigger one and-aha."

Brushing away the dirt and grime from around the mark, he discovered that the spot was actually an engraved stone inset into the wall. With the surrounding wine racks, it would have gone unnoticed by normal visitors.

Pushing the stone, Jonny found that it gave way. In response, a rectangular section of stone swung inward.

They leaned in to see if they could spot anything in the newfound space when a familiar voice came from behind them.

"What in the world are you two doing?"

* * *

Once they passed through to the kitchen, Dr. Quest turned to make sure that no one was within earshot, then turned back to Hadji. 

"Hadji, I would like for you to be careful around her."

Hadji frowned. This conversation was starting to become familiar "Why? She is beautiful and smart, and she makes me happy."

Sighing, Dr. Quest quickly realized that this wasn't going to be an easy conversation. "Son, I-"

Hadji's frown turned into a scowl. He knew it. "But I am not your biological son, am I?"

He then shoved Dr. Quest's hand off of his shoulder and ran out of the kitchen.

Hadji quickly stalked back to the dining room before Dr. Quest could follow him. Of all the nerve!  
He thought of all the people that would understand, Dr. Quest would-apparently suspicious natures run in the Quest line.

Though he did find it strange that the dining room was completely empty when he entered.

He shouted out her name. "Melanie?"

The response he got was totally unexpected. Melanie came into the dining room from the same doorway he had used, and rushed up to him.

She spoke simply, and with determination. "Come with me."

Before Hadji could even utter a sound, Melanie clamped a hand over his arm and pulled him out of the dining room through the other doorway.

* * *

Both Jonny and Jessie turned quickly at the sudden intrusion, only to find Race standing there. 

"Dad!"

"Race! you gave me a heart attack."

Race scowled at them, arms folded. It took him a while to break away from the tour group and pick up their trail, but he had finally picked up the sound of their voices when he came back to this room.

"Good, that's what you get for not telling me what you were planning. What did you find?"

He stood close as Jonny pointed out the exposed corridor. "I had remembered that this room was different when I had stayed here, and when I checked the wall, I found a button that revealed the door."

"Jessie, you stay here and guard the door. Sound out if you hear anything coming."

Jessie rolled her eyes. "But dad.."

Race turned on her. "No buts, or you are grounded when we get home. Let's go Jonny."

Race started through the passageway, with Jonny close behind.

Jessie stared down the passageway after them. She hated being left alone in a room like this.

"Hurry back dad."

* * *

The corridor started off dark and musty, but as they progressed, Race noticed the passage ahead had more light.

Jonny peered ahead. "I seem to remember this place...a metal staircase should be ahead."

Sure enough, after a few more feet, Race found that the passageway opened up wide to a large cavernous room. Shiny metal stairs spiraled downward to the ground level, definitely not an original element of the castle's design.

Race slowly crept down the stairs to the ground floor. He sensed Jonny keeping pace behind him, but his attention was grabbed by the sight that awaited him.

The room was a mix of old and new. Race could tell that its original purpose at one point was to be a room of torture. Off in one corner, he saw what he thought to be a medieval style rack, used to stretch prisoners to make them talk. On the far wall, he saw three old wooden doors, each with small square open windows. Dungeon cells, he had no doubt.

"Holy- Race look at that!"

Jonny pointed with a slight trembling hand.

The most damming piece of evidence sat in another far corner to greet them. In a tall cylindrical tube surrounded by a greenish liquid, the body of Dr. Zin was clearly visible. His body seemed to be dressed in a black body suit for some reason, but there was no mistaking him.

There was little else in the room, save for some computer equipment clustered about near the tube.

Jonny walked slowly towards the tube. He had to see, had to know-

"Jonny, let's check the dungeon cells out first. If whoever brought Zin here has prisoners, they need to be freed first."

Race's voice had nabbed at him before he had gotten a chance to touch the tube, but what he had said made sense. He turned and headed back toward Race's side as he started looking through the windows of the three doors.

He didn't find anything in the first two rooms, but Race struck pay dirt as he stared into the small open window of the last dungeon door. He spotted a portly gentleman dressed in rags and a turban. A salt and pepper beard spread across the man's face.

It had been many years, but Race was sure that he recognized him. "Pasha?"

He saw Pasha stand, looking around wild-eyed. then came to the door to stare out at Race.

"Race Bannon. My boy, it has been a while. Too long in fact. Is that Jonny I see with you? Listen, you have to get out of here now while you can. There's a crazy mean ninja lady out there and-"

Jonny fidgeted nervously beside Race. He was hearing scraping noises coming through the corridor and they were growing louder.

"Race, we have to get out of here. Someone's coming."

Race began working on the door. "We have to try and get pasha out of here!"

A distinct feminine voice came from behind them.

"Welcome back, Jonny Quest. You betrayed and killed my father, and I will kill you. Now, if you two would be so kind as to turn around please."

Jonny turned around and noticed the Raven haired, green eyed beauty stepping forward, holding a gun, and almost did a double take.

This was the woman in Hadji's photo, or at least, it looked like it.

She stepped forward, and dragged a reluctant Jessie from the shadows, shoving her towards them.  
Race caught her mid-stride, preventing her from falling to the ground.

The woman with the gun chuckled slightly. "So much for posting a sentry. Jonny, I'd have thought that this would be the last place you would want to step foot in."

Jonny's mind whirled through what memories he did have. He didn't want her to know that key parts of his memories were missing, so he decided to play along for as long as she would let him. If it got him closer to unlocking his memories so much the better.

He bluffed. "I came back because I figure that you had something to do with Zin's body disappearing from Intelligence-one headquarters. Am I right?"

She smirked in reply. "Maybe you aren't as dumb as you look, Jonny, but then again my sister Melana was always the one with the crush on you. To me you were always just an annoying rat."

Race edged closer to Jonny. "Who is she, Jonny?"

"Melana?" It took a few moments, but he was finally able to make the connection. Jonny's eyes widened.

"Damn, we are dealing with the Zin twins."

"Twins?" Race echoed.

"Yeah," Jonny ground out as he took a defensive stance. "Melana and Anya: both Deadly and beautiful, and daughters of Dr. Zin. They are trained assassins, like I was." His eyes widened at as he made the realization. "Which means if you are here-"

"Nice of you to notice," The woman holding the gun chuckled. "As we speak, my sister Melana is luring Hadji into coming away with her to India. The two of us stalked his movements and his habits for months before we moved in for contact with him. We will then take a little trip over to India to meet up with them."

"What for?" Jonny retorted.

Anya gave him a perplexed look. "Jonny, your brains must truly be scrambled if you can't remember what is in India. Let's just say that my father will be brought back to life, and your worst nightmares will be realized."

-  
"Melanie" pulled hard on Hadji's arm as they sneaked outside, and finally came to a stop near the entrance to the lighthouse.

"Hadji, why don't you come away with me now to India? My father lent me the use of one of his planes. We can put to rest your family's past once and for all, and it'll give you time away from Dr. Quest."

Hadji's eyes widened slightly. "But I have school, and-"

She placed a finger over Hadji's lips. "Shh, you can always get your assignments when we get back. Don't you need some time away to think? After all, I couldn't stand to be away from you my love. I heard what he said to you."

His eyes grew cold at her words. "He doesn't understand what we have. All he cares about right now is Jonny getting home safely from Germany."

Hadji looked into her eyes, his decision made. "Let's go."

* * *

_Secrets abound, and secrets revealed- next chapter._

_My apologies. Time has not been my own recently._

_Time-Guardian_


	7. Escape and Rendezvous

**_Shattered Memories_**  
A Real Adventures of Johnny Quest fanfic  
by Time Guardian 

_Note: I have tried to stay as true as possible to the tale of the Shambala realm as the series laid it out, though some elements have been tweaked to fit the storyline I have here._

_**Chapter 7**_ - _Escape and Rendezvous_

They were herded into Pasha's cell under gunpoint.

While Jonny slid to a seat against the far wall of the cell, Race moved quickly over to Pasha as soon as the cell door was locker. He wasn't a doctor by any means, but from what he could tell when he checked over Pasha, the older man was fine, save for a bit of dehydration.

"Race my man, just tell me that you aren't going to charge me for the examination," Pasha quipped.

Race laughed in reply as he saw his daughter approach. "No Pasha, I wouldn't try and pull a fast one on you. Just wanted to make sure everything was ok is all."

"I'm as right as rain, considering the circumstances," Pasha said with a grin. He then glanced at Jessie. "And could this be a family relation by chance?"

Race nodded. "This is my daughter, Jessie. Jessie, this is the craziest peddler you would ever meet on the streets of India. If it weren't for him, we would have never had met Hadji, and I wouldn't have been able to rescue Dr. Quest from an experimental nerve gas laboratory."

Pasha fussed. "Which you guys still owe me payment for. That was some of my best equipment that I lent you guys."

"What we really could use," Jessie stated emphatically, "is the reason why you are here. Germany is quite a distance from India."

"Heh, she's definitely a chip off the old block," Pasha laughed in his deep voice as he looked at Jessie, "Your old man was always to the point as well. Actually, I do have quite a tale to tell. Have you ever heard of Shambala?"

* * *

"Shambala?" Hadji asked. 

He sat in a small cramped co-pilots seat next to Melanie as she checked the settings of the small plane that they were in.

After leaving the Quest compound, they had summoned a Taxi to the airport, where Melanie escorted Hadji to a personal hanger. Opening the doors wide, she had revealed a small jet, emblazoned with a logo that he was unfamiliar with.

Boarding quickly, Melanie quickly took control, sitting in the pilot's seat, communicating their flight plan to the tower and getting clearance for takeoff.

"I had read about the tale when I was doing research on the ruby that you wear on your turban," Melanie replied. "It is a hidden realm somewhere in India- it cannot be seen with the naked eye and it cannot be found on a map. The tale states that the only way it can be found is through a special falcon that appears once every five hundred years."

Hadji whistled in appreciation. "And you found ties to that tale and my family?"

"Melanie" started the planes engine and looked over at him. "All I know is what I found on paper. The only way we will know for sure is to see it first hand ourselves."

"Take off then, by all means," Hadji urged her.

* * *

"What could be so special about a supposed five hundred year old falcon?" Jessie demanded. "There's many different breeds found in the United States alone, and how could they know its five hundred years old?" 

Pasha gave her an irritated look. "Look, who's telling this story, hmm? The reason why the Falcon is special is because it is from the realm of Shambala. The falcon is said to be immortal, and knows the way to the water of a sacred river inside the realm. The water-"

Jonny chose that moment to interrupt the story. "will make a user immortal. It makes sense."

"What makes sense?" Race asked while rising to his feet, "Did you remember something?"

Jonny looked up at him. He had been weary of getting anyone involved with what he had went through. At this point, considering what was at stake, Jonny decided that he didn't have much choice. They were all prisoners and he had a strong feeling that Anya would make sure that they didn't leave here alive, which would leave his dad and Hadji in danger.

Jonny has to face facts - he needed all the help he could get.

His story was stilted, and he paused many times to piece together the images in his mind, but Jonny managed to tell them as much of events as he remembered them. "Zin has been to India sometime in the last five years. I remember a trip that I made with him and the twins. Zin pored over old scrolls, but what we did mostly was bird watch and scout for rivers."

Jessie turned and looked at him. "You guys were looking for the falcon?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess. Anya and Melana were both cataloging bird sightings left and right. However, Zin seemed to be interested in water. I remember one evening I was outside our camp and was getting some exercise near one river we had scouted out. The twins weren't anywhere in sight."

Jonny took a shuddering breath, and then closed his eyes. "I don't remember why, but I found myself drawn to the edge of the river. I stared for quite a bit, until Zin shot up out of the river like a cork. His face was full of rage...he had been lying in the water apparently. Something was wrong though and since I was the only one in the vicinity-"

"He took it out on you," Race finished. Jonny noticed that his face held a brief expression of pity before he rounded on Pasha.

"Pasha, do you know if the five hundred year cycle has come around?"

It was Pasha's turn to shrug his shoulders. "How should I know? Man, the only ones who knew the legends in depth was the royal family and-"

Race noticed that Pasha had stopped his story abruptly. "Pasha? Something wrong?"

The old man shook his head. "eh, nothing, nothing. I just remembered an old promise I made is all."

Jonny stood and began searching the wall behind him. "We have no time left. Some of these cells have secret passages- we may be able to get out through one of them."

Before any of them were able to join his efforts they heard the sound of footsteps echoing outside the cell.

Jonny looked around nervously to the opening in the cell door, and saw that Anya's face was peering through. She spoke quickly with a sneer on her face.

"Well everything is loaded, and we are off for India and the key to my father's resurrection, so bye-bye. Oh, and Johnny? Let me give a little present to your group."

They watched as Anya pushed a small cylinder through the opening in the door. As soon as it clanked to the ground it began to emit a white vapor.

"Let's see you if survive this," Anya taunted as Jonny heard her running down the corridor.

Jonny watched in horror as the others began to cough. One exploratory sniff was all he needed - they were out of time.

Coughing, Jonny pulled his shirt up to cover his nose and mouth. "Poison gas. All of you, cover your mouths and noses. There's no time to find a passage now. Race, help me with the door. If we double team it, maybe we can make it out of this death trap."

He watched as Race covered up his face and took up a position near the door.

Jonny joined his side and looked over at him.

Race gave him an intent look. "On three. One, two-"

Jonny kept an eye on Race and on three, they both sprinted forward. It took mere seconds for both of them to reach the door.

Pain radiated throughout Jonny's body as his shoulder connected with the door, but they got the effect they were hoping for. Under their combined weight, the door splintered and Race and Jonny fell forward and out into the hallway.

It took a moment for him to regain his senses, but when he did, Jonny saw that Race had quickly recovered and went back in. Moments later he saw Race drag Pasha and Jessie out.

Jonny slowly got to his feet and got his bearings. They were back in the hallway where they had been accosted by Anya.

"Which way now?" Jessie complained. "Anya has a head start on us."

"I think I can remember the way I was brought in," Pasha mused. "There was an exit not too far from this hallway if I remember right."

"Lead the way Pasha," Race commanded as he looked behind him. "The more distance we put between us and this gas, the better."

Race, Jonny, and Jessie kept close behind Pasha as he led them through a newer hallway that branched off diagonally from where they were. When they came up against a decorated stone wall, Jonny helped Pasha find the release switch and pressed it.

They were rewarded for their efforts by the stone wall in front of them swinging outward. Brilliant sunlight flooded into the passage as the group stepped outside. Race realized from their position that they ended up at one side of the castle.

Pasha shielded his eyes against the glare. "Sweet freedom, even though it isn't my own country. So what now?"

"We have to get to the Dragonfly," Race stated as he looked around. He spotted a small path that led around the perimeter of the castle. "Follow me."

It took quite a few minutes, but Race soon had the group back at the courtyard of the castle. A few tourists milled about, but none seemed to notice them.

Race checked his comm-watch and winced at the time. "We have lost a little time, but considering the terrain, I think Anya is going to have to drive a pretty big truck to haul the tank and the equipment to a plane. "

He then touched a button on his comm-watch and spoke. "Dr. Quest, do you read me?"

It was mere seconds before he heard a reply. "Thank heavens, I have been trying to reach you for hours. Race, where have you been?"

"It's a long story that we don't have time for, Benton," Race replied curtly, "Is Hadji with you?"

"No," Dr. Quest sadly replied, "He left over two hours ago with Melanie. Iris managed to trace their movements to the airport. It seems that Melanie has filed a flight plan to India. They had already taken off by the time I found out."

"Then we need to get to India right away," Pasha urged, "You heard that ninja lady. She's going to meet up with her sister, and if Hadji is with him-"

"Race, is that Pasha with you?" Dr. Quest asked.

Race glanced at Pasha before he replied. "Yeah, and apparently that is a bigger story. We are going to need all the help we can get. You better hop a plane yourself. We are heading toward the Dragonfly now and will contact you again when we are inthe air. Bannon out."

Finished with the transmission, Race motioned to the others. "Let's get going."

* * *


	8. A Plot Revealed

**_Shattered Memories_**  
A Real Adventures of Johnny Quest fanfic  
by Time Guardian 

_Chapter 8 - A Plot Revealed_

Precious time had slipped away, but Race managed to get Jonny and the rest of the group back to the airfield they had landed in.

Once Jonny and Jessie helped him load Pasha into the plane, he quickly took his seat at the pilot's controls.

"Strap you two, I want to be able to takeoff ASAP. We have lost enough time as is. We will contact Dr. Quest again as soon as we are in the air," Race ordered.

The kids took a seat on either side of Pasha, and strapped in.

As Race finalized the preparations for takeoff, Jessie turned on Pasha and decided to ask the one thing that was bothering her. "Pasha, you never told us how you came to be in that prison."

Pasha stammered. "Race, buddy, come on, I need a little breathing room here-"

Race's tone from the front seat was all business. "Come on Jessie. I am sure Pasha has a good reason for not telling us why."

Jonny took interest at his reaction. "Do you have something to hide, Pasha? Protecting someone?"

Pasha squirmed in his seat. "What is this, an inquisition? Those crazy ninja ladies thought I had information regarding the legend of Shambala, so they kidnapped me and brought me to the castle."

Jessie leaned back in her seat and looked at the ceiling of the cockpit. "But you said something about a promise."  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Quest managed to acquire the services of a pilot and a jet within the hour and had soon taken off. Surprisingly, Intelligence One had provided both items without protest. Considering the way they had accosted him earlier, it had came across as strange, but he was in too much of a hurry to look for nuances.

He sat alone in the small cabin of the jet. It had apparently been outfitted for small board meetings and transport, for there was only five seats in the cabin, all fully equipped with video screens and computer hookups. At this point he wouldn't have been surprised if the things served him coffee, but there was one thing he needed to do.

He reached under his seat and pulled out a small computer the size of a hardback book. He hooked into one of computer ports and brought up his mapping software. Considering the lead that Hadji had on them, he had to try and figure out where his son would be by the time his own plane landed.

His son. Dr. Quest hadn't given much thought to those words until he discovered that Hadji left the country with Melanie- if that was even her name. For someone who seemed to care so much about Hadji, she seemed more interested in his family roots than anything else.

Sigh. Too many questions and not enough answers. Hadji would have a head start on him, but maybe not Race-

He reached for his laptop that he had stowed under his seat and powering it up, activated his communication program housed on the hard drive.

"Race, come in. I am in the air and waiting for your signal."

The screen in front of him shimmered and reformed, tuning into the cockpit camera in the Dragonfly. His heart did a small leap of relief at the sight of Johnny, Jessie, and Race. Their clothes looked the worse for wear, but at least they were safe.

"We read you loud and clear, Benton," Race declared, taking a quick glance up at the cockpit camera.

Dr. Quest then noticed the older man in the back seat and recognized him right away. "So it was true. You found Pasha."

"Mhmm, and he has quite a story to tell. Pasha?"

Pasha sighed as he recounted the legend of Shambala for the benefit of Dr. Quest, including the Zin daughter's interest. When he had finished, the pieces finally began to fall in place for Dr. Quest.

"So Zin's daughters are looking to revive their father. This cannot bode well, but Pasha, why would they take Hadji?"

Jessie noticed that Pasha grew quiet, staring at his feet absently. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Pasha, all we care about is making sure that Hadji is safe. Surely that has more worth than an old secret."

Jonny chimed in. "Please Pasha. I know Zin sisters will be merciless. They will kill him once they are done with him."

"All right!" Pasha exploded in exasperation, "Race, you need to get these two into spy work- their interrogation technique is second to none."

"I plead the fifth, Pasha," Race countered, "Sometimes they don't know when to leave well enough alone."

"No, it's all right," Pasha declared, raising his hands above his head in a long stretch, "ahh, that's better.  
Okay, what I am about to tell you is a long kept secret, one which would have gotten Hadji killed long ago if I had revealed it then."

Jonny waited with baited breath as he watched the old man's face contort as if he was sorting through all the facts in his mind before he spoke.

Pasha spoke slowly and deliberately. "Hadji is- the heir to the Royal family of Bangalore. The Falcon that can point the way to the Shambala realm will only answer to the true Sultan of Bangalore."

--------------------------------------------

"I am what?"

Hadji couldn't believe what he was hearing from Melanie. They had already spent some considerable time in the air, and were diverting to London to refuel for the final hop to Bangalore, India.

After needling and cajoling her to reveal the results of her research, Melanie finally revealed that he was indeed the long lost Sultan of Bangalore.

"It's true" Melanie insisted. "There was upheaval in the palace when you were born. People were plotting to take over your father's throne, and to add to the pressure, there were also threats against your very life."

Hadji had always wondered about his real family. Pasha had always changed the subject when Hadji asked,  
but now here was the love of his life, revealing a treasure chest's worth of information.

"What happened? And how did you know all of this?"

Melana thought fast. She had Hadji hooked, but she had to choose her words carefully. One wrong slip, and her plans could unravel.

"When I researched that ruby of yours, I had the chance to speak to your-cousin. He currently rules as Sultan in your stead for you see, your parents were- killed in the face of opposition."

Hadji felt hollow somehow. He had always wondered what had happened, and in the back of his mind, he had fantasized a reunion with his real mother and father. A surge of anger unlike anything he had ever felt before welled up to the surface of his emotions.

"I have been cheated. Melanie, how could he do that to me? Pasha was like a father to me-"

"Hadji," she replied soothingly, "the only way we are going to find out is to go back to India. I have made contact with your cousin there and he is looking forward to your return."  
-------------------------------------------

"His cousin is now Sultan of Bangalore, and though I have no way to prove it, I know he had something to do with the death of Hadji's father. I was entrusted by Hadji's parents to ensure that he remained safely out of harms way. Some protector I am," Pasha ground out bitterly.

"Considering the timing, we will arrive about an hour or so ahead of Hadji," Race commented as he considered Pasha's words. "Pasha, is there anyone in the palace who would be sympathetic to our cause?"

Pasha gazed out the window sadly. "I don't know if you would want to trust an old man like me or not."

A harsh yet pleading voice came from the comm link. "Pasha, please. As Jonny said, Hadji doesn't stand a chance alone against them."

Pasha sighed. "There is one, but she is a prisoner of the current Sultan. We would need to break her out."

"One is better than nothing," Jonny encouraged him. "What we need now is a plan."

"Let's get to it then," Race agreed, "We have about thirty minutes before we land."

-------------------------------------------

_Sigh- it has been a while. I have been busy, honest! More to come soon, I promise._

_till next time,_

_Time Guardian_


	9. A Plan in Jeopardy?

**_Shattered Memories_**  
an Alternate timeline Jonny Quest: TRA fanfiction  
by Time Guardian

_Chapter 9 - A Plan in Jeopardy?_

Bangalore, India

Sultan Vikram sat on his throne in the royal receiving room, and pondered why he even made a deal with the daughters of Zin in the first place.

They had promised him fame and riches and the chance to live forever to enjoy them. All they had asked for was time and safe passage through his domain. So far all that had netted him was six months of promises and the fact that they had uncovered the whereabouts of his cousin Hadji.

Hadji- the true heir to the throne. So he wasn't dead after all. That was going to be one problem that was easily solved, since the Zin daughters apparently couldn't. In his father's day, enemies were cut down immediately upon discovery.

Vikram pressed a button on the intercom panel that was built one of the arms of his throne. "Hakim! I need you in here at once."

Moments later, a tall lean man strode into the room. Dressed in a dark grey business suit, he looked more at home at a university than in a palace. Only his bejeweled turban hinted at the true life he lead. He stood in front of Vikram and bowed. "What is your bidding, Sultan?"

He had to make this good in order to get what he needed. Vikram thought for a moment before he replied. "Have our spies keep an eye on the airport and a small reception at the ready here. There will be a homecoming for my dear cousin that he will never forget."

* * *

The airport was small, and the runway was even smaller. This was why Hadji watched in amazement as "Melanie" deftly landed the small jet on the dirt runway and managed to stop almost exactly at the end of it.

As she shut the engines down, she turned and beamed at him. "We have made it, my love. Welcome to Bangalore."

Hadji had not felt this much excitement for quite a while. He was finally going to have the missing pieces of his life put into place.  
As he got out of seat, his hand nervously fingered the ruby in his pocket that he normally wore on his turban. He had managed to grab it in haste when they had fled the Quest compound. "So what is my cousin's name? Did he know my parents well? Did-"

"Hadji." Melanie shook him roughly. "This is no time to be reminiscing. Your cousin awaits your return in the palace now."

Smiling, he shook off the thoughts about his past. Here he was, ready to discover his true past. There was no need for people like Pasha who kept secrets and-

"Hadji!!"

He shook himself. "I am sorry, Melanie. Let's get to the palace."

* * *

The dungeons of the palace were worn through the passage of time and toil. There were only six cells in the tiny space along with an area for torture, left over from darker times. Guards now used this area to eat and play cards by lamplight, for there were no windows in that area to let in natural light. 

In the first cell nearest the dungeon entrance, a woman by the name of Neela slept fitfully on a small wooden bed. She was frail by no means, but time and years of malnutrition had worn away at her once regal frame. Her clothes were mere tatters, remnants left her from her former life. They used to glow, bejeweled with many stones and metals, but time and greedy guards made short work of the baubles, leaving her with torn, colorless garments.

Married to the sultan and bearing him a son, Neela had felt happy and content, at least until Vikram came into the picture. He had been but a teenager when Neela was first introduced to him, and even then she felt uneasy around him. Vikram had an arrogant air about him that her husband never had, but if it weren't for that, they would have never had received advance warning about his treachery and Hadji would have been dead.

Hadji. She had thought about her son constantly the past few years. At least he was alive- Pasha had sworn his life to keep him safe, and she had never known Pasha to fail before. It was the one thorn in Vikram's side that had caused him to banish her to the antiquated dungeon. Better for her to suffer slowly for her treachery, he had said.

Years passed, and Neela passed her time in the cell by singing the lullabies that she had used to sing to Hadji when he was just a baby. They provided a sense of comfort in an otherwise bleak existence without her husband, her son, and her freedom. It was all that was keeping her going these days.

This night was especially restless. She had heard whispers from the guards that big things were happening inside the palace and they had to be on guard for an unexpected visit. This had her mind going in circles.

"Peddler! Begone from this place."

Her ears perked up at the guard's outburst. Beggars and peddlers had from time to time made their way to the depths of the palace, but -

The voice she heard next brought her to her feet. It was older, and worn with age, but she knew who it was.  
"See here, these are the best trinkets money can by, and did I mention I have the finest alcohol a fine gentleman such as yourself can buy?"

Neela strained to hear the exchange, but the voices seemed to grow softer, and soon she couldn't hear anymore. Had she imagined the whole thing?

She got her answer when she heard one solitary figure walk towards her cell. Even in the dim light, she recognized Pasha as he rushed up, grinning proudly and held up a large metal key. "My lady, the time of your release is at hand."

Neela smiled as Pasha put the key in the door and turned it. The loud metallic clang that resulted was one of the sweetest sounds she had heard in a long time. "Old friend, I am afraid you might have to help me out of here, but I have never been so happy to see anyone in my entire life."

She watched Pasha open the door, pushing it inward and stepping inside. The pity in his eyes almost brought Neela to tears. "I am almost afraid to ask why you are here. Where is my son?"

He extended a hand to her. "A lot has gone on that will take too long to explain. We have to get out of here."

* * *

Outisde the landing strip, Melanie led Hadji to a small red car parked nearby. A maze of streets and twenty minutes later, Hadji marveled as they drove up the driveway leading to the palace. The massve stone walls made him feel small in comparison, but at the same time he marveled at the ornate metalwork that decorated the top of each wall and the roof of the palace.

They passed through a massive gate flanked by two burly guards wielding machine guns. "Melanie, all of this security-"

"Is a necessity." She finished. "The enemies that murdered your parents still flourish today. The sultan does not want to take any chances."

They followed a small driveway that emptied into a massive courtyard. Trees and small shrubs flanked the small space, and four large pillars staked out the corners of the area. Stairs in one corner spiraled upward to a second floor balcony that beheld many doors, but what held his attention was the massive door that was beside the stirs. It seemed to be made of a darker wood, and intricately carved with a large figure of a falcon perching on a mountain. It reminded him of something Pasha told him long ago-

Melanie parked the car in the middle of the courtyard and got out. "Your cousin Vikram holds counsel on the second floor. He asked me to bring you up as soon as we arrived."

Hadji got of out the car and obediently followed her over to the stairs over in the corner. As they started to ascend the stairs, Hadji heard the large door creak open. He turned around, half expecting to see a servant or a member of the court, anybody but the person that walked into the courtyard.

"Sister I- Hadji!"

Hadji stopped short as she stared at the lady in front of him. She wore a long black jumpsuit, but the hair, the eyes- "What is this? Melanie, you never told me about any family-"

He turned to find that "Melanie" was holding a small pistol and had it pointed at his head. "That's because I had hoped my idiot sister would have been smart enough to stay in hiding until we could pull off our plan."

Shock and a sense of betrayal coursed through him. "How could you? I love you. I-"

She prodded him with the pistol over to the opposite corner of the courtyard where one of the pillars stood. "You fell in love with both of us, lover boy, though I do have to admit my sister seems to be more smitten with you than I could ever be. Anaya, tie him up."

"Melanie" backed away, gun still pointed at Hadji's throat, as Anaya came forward with a length of rope in her hand. Hadji found her voice to be a little more subdued than her sister, but it still held a similar tone. "So now you know. You should be thankful. Your cousin Vicar wanted you killed right away. We managed to convince him to let you live with the right incentive."

Anaya set to work, tying Hadji's arms tightly and securing them to the pillar. Hadji strained against his bonds as he watched the woman he thought he knew. "And I am supposed to be thankful about that? I suppose your name isn't even Melanie."

"Close. It's Melana actually." She purred as Anya backed away. Melana advanced on him and plunged her hand into Hadji's pocket, withdrawing the ruby within. "Well lover boy, we appreciate you bringing yourself and that ruby of yours here so we can find Shambala."

Hadji looked at her with confusion. Pasha had told him a few stories, sure, but - "Shambala? That is just a fairy tale."

Melana laughed. "Then you wouldn't mind summoning the falcon for us so we can find out."

He spat at her in reply.

Melana stepped forward menacingly. "If we didn't need you I would-"

Hadji noticed that a tall man dressed in a business suit and turban had come up behind Melana. "My master orders the presence of the daughters of Zin in the throne room."

The words that the man had said stuck in Hadji's mind with a searing realization.

Zin's Daughters...

Still clutching the ruby in her hand, Melana sneered at Hadji. "Don't go anywhere. Anya, let's go see what our benefactor has to say, shall we?"

Melana turned and grabbed Anya by the arm, and they both followed the man through the large ornate door at the end of the courtyard.

* * *

Hadji felt truly numb. All of the weeks he had spent with her- them-

A rustle in the nearby bushes broke him out of his bewildered thoughts. He looked around wildly, but could not see anyone around. "Who's there?"

The reply came in the form of a familiar voice from behind the pillar he was tied to. "Just the cavalry. Hold still, I am cutting you free."

He recognized Jonny's voice and was torn between irritation and relief.

"Jonny. Are you here to rub it in?"

"Far from it, Hadji. Pasha is freeing your mother right now, and Race is meeting dad at the airstrip not far from here. They should be here soon, and then we can put a stop to their plans together. Truce?"

Hadji felt his bonds slip free as a the sounds of echoing footsteps came from the other side of the large door. He thought fast as he massaged his aching wrists. "Hide now. If they don't know you are here we might have an edge."

"But-"

"Jonny, Wasn't it you who taught me that surprise was the best weapon of a ninja?"

Hadji thought he heard Jonny chuckle. "Hadj, When all of this is over, we need to talk about your choice in women."

"Now is not the time for humor. Hide!"

The noise he had heard was louder this time, and Hadji hid his hands behind his back just in time as the door to the courtyard opened.

Melana and Anya walked out of the door. He was beginning to recognize the subtle differences between them. Melana walked more proudly, her gaze hard and cold. Anya's gaze seemed softer than her sister's, but there was a determination there that Hadji could see. Surprising to him, it was Anya that strode forward. In her hands, she brandished a long Japanese sword. As she got closer to him, Anya pointed the blade straight at his heart.

"So Hadji, are you ready to help us- or are you ready to die?"

Hadji thought quickly - he had to stall them somehow. "Anya, you must have once loved me. All those things you did for me. I-"

He held some hope as he watched the hesitation become apparent in her eyes.

With a annoyed snort, Melana snatched the blade from her sister's hands. "If father could see you now."

She then turned back to Hadji and pointed the tip of the blade at his neck. "You will summon the falcon."

He shook his head vehemently. "You will not win this sad little game. Dr. Quest will find us."

Sneering, Melana brought the sword back and around in a long arc towards Hadji.

"Sister, no!"

* * *

_More soon as time allows_. Time Guardian 


	10. A Past Revisited

_**Shattered Memories**_  
a Alternate timeline Jonny Quest: TRA fanfiction  
by Time Guardian

Chapter 10 - A Past Revisited

Hadji knew he was running out of time. With his hands free, he had a few options, even though escape seemed to be near impossible. Both Melana and Anya flanked him, cutting off any potential escape routes.

Melana appeared to be running the show, and seemed just as dangerous. She was the one that held the sword and she was swinging it right at him.

"Heya crazy ninja ladies!"

The shout stopped Melana in her tracks. As she and Anya turned around, Hadji looked around them and saw a familiar figure standing a few yards away in the courtyard.

"Pasha!"

"It's good to see you, Hadji my boy," he shouted, "Jonny should be with you shortly."

Hadji wasn't sure what Pasha meant until he noticed a blur of movement from the balcony above him. Crouching quickly, he saw Jonny drop from above onto Melana. With the threat of a weapon out of the way, Hadji went after Anya.

--

Race had met Dr. Quest's plane at the small landing area they had used. Standing outside the steps, he waited while the plane doors opened and finally breathed a little easier when he saw his friend and employer step out with a small laptop computer.

He stepped forward quickly, directing Dr. Quest to a rental car he had parked nearby."Benton, we better get going. Things are going down hard and fast at the palace. I was able to reach Pasha and Jonny for a brief moment before you landed. The Zin sisters had Hadji tied up and were threatening him."

Dr. Quest looked grim. "Then we need to hurry."

--

After Jonny dropped on Melana, she quickly fought back, using her legs to push him away so she could get to a standing position. The blade that she had been wielding laid a few feet away.

Jonny got to his feet and noted her interest in the weapon. "I wouldn't recommend it, Melana," he taunted. "As I remember, I could easily beat you, sword or no."

She shot back with a sneer. "I doubt it. I have been training hard and didn't betray my father in his time of need like you did."

He realized what Melana was about to do and and made a low dive for sword just as she went for it.

Melana managed to grab onto it a split second before him and used it to quicklly swing at him. Jonny allowed himself to fall back, the blade just missing him by inches. He recovered long enough to go low with a leg sweep, which she anticipated by jumping back out of range.

He eyed her warily, trying to come up with some new strategy. _-Come on, think! You have beaten her before.-_

"Running out of ideas, Jonny?" she taunted. "That is so unlike you."

He looked around the grounds of the courtyard for anything he could use, and that is when he spotted an unused long wooden torch in a holder on the nearby wall. In a instant, he knew how to get her.

Smirking, Jonny crossed his arms and gave her a hard look. "You are just mad because I killed your father and helped to foil your plan to bring him back to life. Both are you are weak, just like your father was."

With a howl of rage, Melana charged headlong at him, sword out to her side. When she was within a few feet of him, he sidestepped her and went for the torch on the wall. Jonny managed to yank it free on the first try, and quickly swung around with his improvised weapon.

He connected, hitting her square in the back. Melana fell to the ground hard, and the sword she carried clanged to the ground. Jonny let out an uneasy breath as he threw the torch aside and grabbed the sword from where it had fallen from her hands.

--

Hadji tackled Anya easily, and managed to pin her shoulders to the ground. He tried to catch his breath, but he had to know one thing.

"So, all that we had together, that was all a lie?"

Anya laughed. "Of course there was something there, Hadji. However, my priorities and my allegiances are with my father above and beyond all else."

She made a kissing noise before using her body weight to roll backward and throw Hadji to the ground.

Recovering quickly, he scrambled to his feet and eyed her warily. "You were quite the convincing actress."

Hadji lunged at her again, but Anya sidestepped him neatly.

He looked around quickly. Anya's agility was making her a formidable opponent, but he knew there were other ways to trip up a ninja.

They were both near where they had tied him up intially, and Hadjii could still see the discarded rope on the ground near the pillar. It had been many months since he had praticed his magic, but he felt calm and confident as he focused his energy. "Sim sim sim sala bim!"

Focusing his efforts, the rope began to rise in the air. Anya tried running, but the rope easily caught up with her. It shot out quickly, snaking around her wrists and pulled her unceremoniously to the pillar.Hadji crossed his arms in grim stisfaction as Anya shrieked at him. "Let me go! Let me go, Hadji! I didn't mean it really! It was your cousin Vikram that wanted you dead. We were only going to use you for the falcon, believe me!"

He turned away from her. "As I said, you are quite the convincing actress. Now if you will excuse me, I need to get in touch with my past."Hadji walked away went to check out the doors available to him. One of them had to lead to his cousin Vikram, but judging by the amount of doors, he knew it would take a while to check each one.

"Hadji!"

He stopped long enough to let Jonny catch up to him. "Are you all right?"

"Nothing to it," he replied with a grin. "How about you 'Sultan', are you ready to find out about your past?"

Hadji winced at the use of the term. "If you haven't noticed, there are quite a few doors to try. Besides, I am not sure where to start."

--

Jonny looked around with some unease. Something didn't add up about all of this. He looked back at where they had left Anya and Melana and to his amazement found that they were upright and on the move. They seemed to be giving up awful easily.

He also saw that Pasha was heading towards them, so he made a quick decision - Jonny just hoped both Hadji and his father would understand. Melana's sword in hand, he turned to follow the twins when he heard Hadji call out. "Where are you going, Jonny?"

He turned back for a moment and smiled what he hoped was a believable smile.

"You have this situation in the bag, Hadj. Pasha can help you. Now go in there and claim what's yours. Dad is on his way here, and if he asks, tell him something important has come up." He held up his wrist and tapped the watch that he wore. "I am on the trail."

Before Hadji could ask anymore questions, Jonny took off across the courtyard with a burst of speed.

--

Pasha hurried to where Hadji was and gave him a big bear hug. "Man, is it ever good to see you again."

Hadji smiled for a moment, and then remembered what Jonny had told him. "Pasha, is my mother ok?"

He nodded. "She was overjoyed to find out that you were here. In fact-" He paused for a moment, and gave a sharp whistle. "she should be here any second now."

Hadji turned around eagerly, and a few moments later saw the figure of a woman walking towards him in the moonlight. In his dreams he had visualized his mother and when she came close enough he knew his dreams were realized. He was so awestruck, he could hardly say a word. "M-mother??"

Neela smiled broadly, the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "Hadji, my son."

He ran to her and embraced her tightly. She returned the gesture, then placed her hands on his shoulders.

"After so long - I knew you were alive. Pasha had visited many a time telling me all about you. It has given me the strength I needed to survive."

Pasha stepped forward. "Now all we need is to do is get Vikram out of the palace."

--

The moon was high in the sky by the time that Race and Dr. Quest arrived at the palace. There had been no guards to greet them, and when they parked the rental car in the courtyard, they saw why.

In the middle of the courtyard, they noticed that a contigent of guards surrounded two men. Dr. Quest was relieved to see Hadji standing near them along with Pasha and a woman he didn't recognize. Everything was coming back together again and settling down.

He quickly rushed to Hadji and embracede him warmly. "I am so glad to find you safe. I was going to ground you for running off with Melanie, but considering the circumstances, I think that can be forgiven."

Hadji smiled. "I am sorry that I worried you. Luckily Pasha and Jonny were here to help me out, and we have my cousin in custody." He glanced over at the two men the guards were surrounding. "Vikram had an iron hold over Bangalore along with his assistant Hakim. After we managed to convince the guards that I was the true sultan, they quickly took both of them into custody before they could flee."

Race noted the woman standing by Pasha and was curious. "Pasha, who is your lady friend?"

The old man laughed heartily. "This beautiful lady's name is Neela, and she is also Hadji's mother."

Dr. Quest bowed. "It is an honor to meet you, Neela."

She returned the gesture. "Pasha has told me about what you have done to keep my son safe," She replied. "It is good that he has had a loving family to grow up with all these years. Vikram had put out a bounty for his death, and he wasn't safe here."

Race looked around at the scene. "Speaking of family, where's Jonny?"

Hadji looked around in confusion, trying to remember. "The last time I saw him, I was going after Vikram. He had said something about 'I had everything else in hand and having something important come up, and that if you asked, he was on the trail.' He also tapped his watch."

Race thought fast. "I don't see the daughters of Zin around here either. Benton, you don't think-"

Dr. Quest laid a hand on his shoulder. "Race, if he's gone after them-"

He nodded, knowing what the doctor was thinking. "As good as Jonny has become, he will need help. He knows that his watch has a homing signal. Well, Hadji? Since you are the new Sultan in these parts, can you get us a quick ride?"  
--

Through the moonlit darkness, Melana Zin guided the helicopter past the towns, through numerous canyons and followed a small river until she finally spotted the small temple that they were using as a base.

She guided the helicopter to a nearby clearing and landed. After shutting off the engine, the sisters disembarked, quickly hurrying to the small building.

In the darkness, the buidling looked more like a small residence than a temple. with stone walls covered in vegetation, it had looked like no one had been there in sometime. The sisters had remembered the temple from the time they came with their father to search for the ultimate way to eternal life, which made it the perfect staging place now. Various religious statues that denoted the buildings true purpose laid crumbing around the perimeter in various states of decay. Days ago, Anya had also secured two motorcycles for their use, and had stationed them just outside the building. Inside, there were no other rooms, but the space was divided by a small raised platform at one corner, along with a wooden podium. Tall bookshelves and cabinets lined the walls flanked by lit oil lamps giving off a low light.

Once inside, Anya took a seat at the small table near the door and slammed her gear on top of it. "This ended badly."

Melana chose to pace the length of the room. "Quit your whining, Anya. Father wouldn't stand to see such weakness from us. And what was all of that preventing Hadji's death? He defied us!"

Anya retorted. "We needed him to get the falcon! Well, at least there is always plan b. Besides, you grabbed the ruby, didn't you? That will fund our travels for the short term and-"

A rustling noise came from outside. Melana held up a hand, silencing her sister. "We are not alone."

--

Jonny had stowed aboard their helicopter when the sisters had made their escape, and now that they had landed, he had hoped to keep tabs on them.

When he saw the building in the moonlight, it sparked another memory in him. From what he already knew, Dr. Zin was researching methods for eternal life in various countries, which didn't make any sense to him. If he was after the realm of Shambala for the life giving water, there would be no reason for his daughters to setup here- unless they had another plan.

Jonny clutched the sword that he had had taken from Melana tightly in his hands and slowly walked towards the temple. He needed to find out why the sisters had given up so easily.

Steps away from the temple, he stepped on a branch. The sound seemed to echo through the night, and he froze. With the near silence around him, one of the sisters was sure to have heard the noise.

He quickly reached the building and crouching, flattened himself near one of crumbling statues and waited, all the while watching the door.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, he saw the door open and what looked like two shadows walked out into the night. Jonny saw the opportunity and took it.

Quickly while staying low, he snuck into the temple. Precious seconds ticked by as Jonny gauged his surroundings, trying to find a place to hide before the sisters came back inside.

"So the rat has come back to play."

Jonny cursed his lack of attention as he recognized Melana's voice from behind him. Turning around slowly he saw that both sisters were back in the room, and judging by their glances, both were ready to fight.

"You know, that was a dirty trick back at the castle, clocking me like that, but I am ready for you." Melana growled. At her side, Jonny noticed she had another sword, and she quickly drew it out on him.

"Save some for me, sister," Anya purred.

Melana charged at him full, but Jonny brought his weapon up and blocked her easily. Her anger seemed to give her an edge, and it was all Jonny could do to block each of her swings. What he needed was more room, and a plan. He decided to run to the far wall of the temple, deflecting her blows left and right as he went. In the low light of the oil lamps through the small space, Jonny eventually chose to turn around and face Melana. He wished that he had kept better tabs on Anya, but he had to keep them busy if his dad had any chance to catch up to them. Jonny kept his back against an old cabinet that was against the wall, all the while keeping her at bay with his blade.

"This has gone on long enough, Melana."

Her face did not change expression at all. "There is something we agree upon after all. Now Anya!"

He thought he had his back covered, but when he looked behind him, Jonny realized his error. In a blur, Anya came flying down towards him from her perch on top of one of the old bookcases that he had his back against.

There was no time to react, and she managed to land a solid kick to the side of his head. The shock of the attack made Jonny stumble and fall to the ground.

As Jonny laid on the ground, he struggled through the haze of pain shooting through his head.

Melana's face appeared in his field of vision. "So sorry to be leaving you like this, Jonny, but since you  
ruined our one opportunity to reach the falcon, we are going to plan B. A certain snake cult has a  
item that grants eternal life - but why am I telling you this? You were with us when father discovered  
it's existance."

_-The Snake Cult-_

The name set off warning bells in his head, but he was not in a position to do much about it. The pain radiating through his head prevented much of anything, and darkness was his only relase.

--

After using precious time prepping the royal helicopter that Vikram tried to escape in, they were finally able to get underway. Dr. Quest adjusted the settings on the laptop, and tried his best to tune in to the tracking signal from Jonny's watch. For a few minutes, he heard the steady blip of the signal coming through loud and clear, but then without warning, the signal he had been tracking disappeared off of his scope. "I've lost the signal!"

Race held his course. They hadn't gone far, for they were still over the heart of Bangalore. "Do you have  
his last position?"

Fingers flying, Dr. Quest nervously traingulated the last signal he received from his son's watch along the GPS system in the helicopter. Jonny's last signal had indicated that the helicopter that he had nearly traveled three hundred miles away. "I've got it. Let's get going."

He relayed the coordinates to Race, but couldn't get rid of the uneasy feeling he had.  
--

Jonny woke up with a groan.

His head felt like it was splitting in two, and judging by the level of quiet around him, the sisters must have left him there. He pushed himself into a sitting position, and when he was satisfied that he would not fall over, He pushed himself up to his feet and walked outside.

The night air hummed with insect activity, but little else. He also noticed that the two motorcycles that had been outside the temple were now gone, which served to alarm him, especially since the helicopter that they arrived in was still sitting a few yards away from the temple, seemingly in perfect condition. The Zin sisters normally did not leave anything in their wake.

Looking down at his watch, he saw the smashed inner workings and swore. Jonny wasn't even sure if his  
position got transmitted to his dad. He took the watch off of his wrist and flung it to the ground as he continued to the helicopter. If Melana and Anya didn't booby trap it, maybe he could follow them and-

A clicking noise made him stop. Looking down near the ground, he saw that his foot had snagged a tripwire.

Swearing, he gauged the distance to the nearby river and decided to take his chances.

Minutes later, the world around him exploded.

--

It seemed like an eternity, but when Race finally closed in on the source of the signal, Dr. Quest strained  
to see the area in the darkness. The lights on the helicopter barely cut through the darkness as they pressed on.

Minutes later, Dr. Quest cross checked his findings with the GPS. "We are here Race. Better find a place to land and - oh no."

Race followed his gaze and saw the bright column of fire and smoke coming from below them. "Hold on."

He quickly picked a flat spot a couple hundred yards away from the fire, and with careful precision, he managed to land the craft safely in the surrounding darkness.

Once the helicopter was on the ground, Dr. Quest scrambled to release himself from his restraints. Stumbling out onto the ground, he ran towards what looked like a burning temple, but stopped short due to the heat of the fire. He could go no further.

Falling to his knees, coherent thought fled in a moment's glance.

"No. Not again."

--  
_nearly 48 hours later_--

In the darkness, Race Bannon rode the motorcycle with lights on full down the dirt road towards the blackened remains of the temple. He had been up and down that same path at least twenty times checking the surroundings and the river since Hadji had the bike sent to their location from the Sultan's personal collection. The results were still the same, there was no sign of the sisters or Jonny for that matter. He dreaded reporting in to his friend, but he had little choice.

Once he got close to the temple, Race manuevered the bike around some blackened shrubs before finally coming to a stop near the blackened hull of the helicopter that Zin's daughters had used. He quickly shut off the bike, took off the black helmet that he had been wearing, and placed it carefully on one of the handles.Race heard the crunch of the dirt and burned vegetation under his feet, and it seemed to echo out into the coming dawn.

Spotting Dr. Quest at the far edge of temple's perimeter, Race walked over until he was mere steps behind his friend, but Dr. Quest never turned around. He cleared his throat. "Benton, I couldn't find anything."

Silence. Race wondered if Dr. Quest had even heard what he had just said, until he finally replied. "Then let's search again."

Race shook his head. They had been at for close to forty-eight hours all ready, and he all ready had a sinking feeling that they would not find anything more. A storm that had moved into the area a few hours ago obliterated any possible traces of vehicles, and the helicopter that the sisters had used was left in a smoking ruin nearby.

He didn't want to dash his friend's hopes, but they had to face facts.

"Benton, I refuse to believe that Jonny is dead, and I also doubt that he got captured again. The resourcefulness that he showed in Germany showed me that Jonny has a good head on his shoulders, and we still don't know what all he learned while he was in Zin's service. The main thing is: we did not find him here, and if he doesn't want to be found, he knows how to hide. Hadji has also promised to keep a contigent of guards searching around Bangalore for him. As much as I hate to say this, there's not much more we can do here."

He watched Dr. Quest silently stared at the horizon. Race frowned slightly and he kicked at a rock in the dirt. "I should have seen the signs. Jonny had been keeping a lot inside. He 'didn't want us involved' were his words back at the Castle Wolfsbrunnen."

Dr. Quest sighed as he watched the sun rise in the distance. "It's not your fault, Race. I saw the same thing too. It was as if he was trying to protect us from all of this in the first place. I could tell that he probably would have kept this all his secret if Hadji had not become involved with the daughters of Zin. The only reason I pushed him to face things was so he could put this behind him. I was just hoping Jonny would remember that he doesn't have to do this alone."

Race put a hand on his friend's shoulder. He hadn't seen Benton Quest this down since the one time years ago, when they all thought Jonny had died at Palm Key.

"Benton, we'll keep the net out for Jonny. He will turn up, you'll see."

--

Minutes later, Dr. Quest heard Race turn and walk away.

He looked back at the ruins of the temple with growing hope in his heart. They had not found a body, and he knew that his son was resourceful. Dr. Quest said a silent prayer as he rounded on the scene and followed Race back to the Dragonfly, which they had brought hours earlier to help with the search. He checked the scene as best he could for clues, now he would head home and wait, and would hang onto the belief that Jonny was alive.

There was nothing else he could do for now.


End file.
